Vanished feelings
by Kurosaki girl 0890
Summary: Her life was in danger...as long as she was with him she would be constantly in danger, in getting killed. So he had to make the most painful decision that he's ever had to make in his life...to erase everything. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

'_This feeling in my heart…what is it? Why is it that I feel this way…I no longer feel empty…and yet, I don't even know this boy—or do I?' _

Gray eyes scanned the person in front of her, questions running through her mind.

"D-Do I know you?" She formed the words, her eyes shimmering. The man in front of her shrugged his shoulders, his sunglasses catching the light from the shining sun. The guy that was standing next to him rolled his eyes before turning to look at the flabbergasted girl.

"This is my friend, Orihime, he's…" He was about to say more when the man in the sunglasses next to him placed his hand on his shoulder, successfully cutting him off.

"Don't." Was the only word that left his mouth, but it was enough to send shivers down her spine. _'Wait…that voice…why does it seem familiar?' _Her eyes widened which caused the man to turn away from her. Orihime reached out, her hand almost coming in contact with his skin, but before it could, he shrugged away.

"Sorry Orihime. He doesn't really like any physical contact." Her friend Uryu pushed his glasses up his nose. "Don't worry about it, it wasn't you."

Orihime clasped her hands together as she watched the mysterious person walk away. She licked her lips to moisten them. "Uryu…What's his name?"

Uryu rubbed his left arm as he contemplated how to answer. When he didn't answer right away she turned so she was looking at him. He gulped. "I don't know if you should want to know Orihime…Trust me on this one."

"Oh." She turned her head back in the direction that he disappeared in. "Hey Uryu?"

"Hm?"

"This may seem really weird and a little crazy but…I think I met him somewhere before. It's like… I don't know, somewhere it nags at me that I know him…I just haven't figured out where."

Uryu gasped but quickly recovered. "That is crazy, there's no way you could know him."

"Really?" Orihime asked her eyes dulling in intensity.

Uryu nodded his head. "Trust me, you can't know him he's…not in the best of crowds, if you know what I mean."

Her mouth formed an 'o' shape as realization set in. "I wouldn't roam with that type of crowd." She said with her happy smile. Uryu agreed with her and started to walk with her in the direction of her home. He listened intently while she told him about her day and what she had been doing before she saw the two of them.

"Thanks for walking me home," she said brightly her eyes closing.

"Sure it's no problem." Setting one of her bags on the counter, he smiled awkwardly.

Orihime started to pull the items out of the bags and place them in the spots they went. She began to hum to herself, which caused Uryu to chuckle quietly. With a wave of his hand, he walked out of her apartment.

"Ichigo…what are we going to do with her?" He asked no one in particular as he walked down the street. "She knows you—what if this plan of yours doesn't work after all?"

* * *

He fell exhausted onto his bed, so many emotions streamed through his mind and heart. _'Shit, why did this have to happen?' _

"Welcome home Ichigo!"

Before a fist could make contact with his face, he reached up and stopped it.

"Knock it off dad; I'm not in the mood."

His father's face became solemn as he pulled his fist out of Ichigo's palm. "Why are you home? You have your own place now. I thought you decided it would be best to stay far away from here."

Ichigo groaned as he covered his eyes with his hand. "Just leave me alone."

"All right but your sisters are going to worry about you." Was all that was said and when Ichigo heard his door close, he took his hand away. Looking up at the ceiling, he sighed.

"It's better this way…I can't trust myself…not anymore."

His cell phone went off which caused him to nearly jump out of his skin. Why in the world did he get one again? Checking the caller ID, he flipped it open and placed it to his ear.

"What?"

"You know I hate to talk to you more than is necessary but we need to talk about her."

Ichigo's blood ran cold. He clenched his hand into a tight fist, trying to suppress the sudden anger that flamed through his body.

"She can sense it—I don't know if this is such a…"

"Shut up. This is the only way and there's no turning back. I wasn't even supposed to be out there today but I broke the rules anyway…Which is never going to happen again."

There was a sigh from the person on the other line.

"Ichigo, do you really think you have the strength to stay away from her? I know you have good intentions but…"

"Uryu if you don't shut up you better start praying to your God to save you because I will have no mercy," Ichigo threatened his voice ice cold.

"Huh, wouldn't that be interesting? You really have allowed it to overcome your emotions."

Ichigo closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry Uryu, I just…This is the best thing for her, even if it kills me, I'm going to stand behind my decision."

There was some noise in the background which made Ichigo raise an eyebrow.

"Okay, that's all fine and dandy, but what about me and Chad that have to deal with the Orihime that no longer remembers anything? What do we tell her when her powers suddenly flare up?"

With a groan, Ichigo got into a sitting position. Running a hand through his longer orange hair he grumbled, "How the hell am I supposed to know? You guys will just have to think about something to say to her. You don't have to worry about that for a while, you know her powers are sealed."

"Yes, but for how long Ichigo? There are a lot of things to consider which you obviously didn't do. Now we'll have to clean up…"

"Hey it's done and over with now. Just forget about it and get on with your life."

Uryu sighed once again. "Fine, take care of yourself Ichigo."

There was a click and then nothing. Ichigo flipped his phone shut and tossed it to the end of his bed. Standing up, he left his room and made it into the bathroom. Looking in the mirror he groaned.

"You look like someone shitted on you…Might as well have."

"Ichigo…are you okay?" Yuzu asked her eyes filled with concern. He put on a small smile.

"Yeah, everything's fine Yuzu, don't worry about anything."

"But Ichigo…You never let your hair get that long…It's always been on the longer side but now…Honestly you look like a sheep dog or something, which shows you aren't taking care of yourself and you promised that you would."

Her eyes began to pool with tears as they looked at each other. Closing his eyes, he turned to her and enveloped her in a hug. She grasped tightly onto his shirt as she sobbed.

"Everything will be okay Yuzu…I promise."

'_**Don't forget I'm right here…and I'm not going anywhere either.' **_A sinister voice chanted in his head. Unconsciously his hold tightened.

It was his damn hollow again. Was there no way to get away from him?

"Ichigo? What's wrong?" Yuzu asked her eyes widening.

"Just stay here with me for a minute…Sorry, Yuzu…"

Her eyes shook with emotion as she put her arms around her older brother holding him tight. "It's okay…I'm here, we all are."

'_No…not everyone…' _He thought and struggled to hold back the moisture that was gathering in his eyes. _'Not everyone…' _

_

* * *

_**A/N: Hey I'm here with a new story. And it's Bleach! my current favorite anime/manga. I hope you guys like this first chapter and stick around. I realize it may seem a little confusing at first but I promise it'll make more sense later. Thanks for reading and please review!! **_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

Oh by the way I don't own Bleach in anyway!

* * *

Chapter 2

_Orihime tugged at Ichigo's orange bangs, giggling as she pulled the ends towards the ceiling. _

"_You should make it so your bangs stick up along with the rest of your hair," she suggested, his vein throbbed in annoyance as she moved his hair every different way. _

"_Hime stop," he muttered darkly. Orihime dropped her hands as her mouth gaped open. _

_"It appears that someone is a mister crabby pants..." She muttered as_ _Ichigo rolled his brown eyes. He stood up and walked towards the fridge. Orihime sat in her spot and watched him for a moment when suddenly, a thought passed through her mind. Rushing over to him, she slammed the fridge shut just as he was about to reach for an item, causing his eyes to lock with hers. _

_"What in the hell is going on?" _

"_I want to fix something for you! Sit down; it's my job after all," Orihime replied. He eyed her suspiciously, his brow rising. _

"_What new experiment am I going to be faced with today?" He was met with a big smile and simple words. _

_"Don't worry; it won't be anything too exciting. You'll love it!" Pushing him into the chair she was previously sitting on, Orihime winked and held up one finger. Ichigo couldn't help watch the way she moved around the kitchen as if she was born to be there. He propped his chin into the palm of his hand and continued to observe her. In a few moments, smoke began to rise from the pan that was on the stove, a chuckle leaving him as he watched her reactions. _

"_Oh no!! I can't believe its burning! What did I do wrong this time?? Isn't there anything I can do right? Oh, c'mon pan, be nice..." She mumbled, scowling at it lightly. Her eyebrows lowering just slightly as it took her a moment to realize that her best friend was laughing at her. Turning around shyly, she laughed nervously. _"_Heehee, well….it doesn't seem to be working so great after all. Sorry, Ichigo," the healer quietly apologized. Shaking his head with a small smile, he stood up. Placing his hand on her head caused her to blush._

"_Don't worry, how about we go somewhere else to eat?" Ichigo offered as a suggestion._ _Her lip turned downward into a pout. _

_"But I'm supposed to be the one fixing you meals Ichigo, and I can't even do that." Without much thought, Ichigo brought his hand down to the small of her back. He pulled her in close before she could utter a single word of wonder. Placing his nose into her hair, he breathed in her sent deeply. _

"_Hime, it's okay... Let me do something nice for you." Orihime turned a deep scarlet as he held her. _

_"Uh…okay." She could barely form the words due to him teasing the back of her neck like that. He pulled away to look into her gray eyes and she looked into his, not glancing away. He dipped down and captured her lips with his, savoring her taste. _

"_Mmm, Ichigo, stop…" Orihime's voice was gentle as she pushed softly at his chest. Sighing, he pulled away, glancing at the clock. _

"_Right... It's about time we got some food in your tummy before it starts to carry on the conversation for you," Ichigo replied as he made his way to the front door. Looking behind his shoulder, he laughed. _"_C'mon don't look like that... Otherwise I won't be able to let you out of this apartment." _

_She blushed for the third time and quickly followed him out the door. _

Bang, bang!

Ichigo groggily opened his eyes from the pleasant sleep he was previously enjoying. _'Who in hell's name is knocking on my freakin' window? I swear I'll slice their ass so fast they won't know what happened!!' _The banging continued, sounding like a hammer against his window. With a groan, he sat up and glared at the offending portal, although his eyes went into shock when he realized who exactly it was. He quickly got up and slid the glass open.

"That only took you a century... I was banging for what seemed like hours!" Shinji complained as he fell to the floor.

"What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked, stretching as he spoke.

"I came here to get you of course. You're such a pain in the ass..." Ichigo pulled at his hair and gazed off into the opposite direction. "Hey! Are you listening to me? We need to get going otherwise he'll get upset." Shinji remarked, waving his hand in front of Ichigo's face. Ichigo's vein began to throb as that stupid white hand continued to gesture in his face. After a few more seconds, he slapped it away.

"Will you stop that already?? It's driving the hell out of me!"

"There's the response I've been waiting for! Now get up and get dressed. We have to leave soon," Shinji paused for a moment before resuming. "To tell you the truth, I don't even know why you came back home. Didn't you say something about not wanting your family to find out what happened?" Ichigo ignored him as he tore off his night shirt and walked to his closet. Shinji's eyes followed him and watched his reactions closely.

"You saw her…didn't you?" When Ichigo stiffened, Shinji sighed. "We told you it would be easier on you if you just forgot about her, but for some reason, you won't let them wipe your memory clean of her. But if you ask me, you're just making it harder on yourself."

Ichigo shrugged into a clean black shirt, replying to the vaizard, "Shinji, it's really none of your business what I do. I'm a higher rank than you anyway, but the only reason you can order me around is due to the fact you've been around longer." Ichigo stopped and stared at his shirt for a few moments before finishing. "Just wait until _he _decides to change that."

A sinister smile wisped along Shinji's lips. "That may be true, but without me you wouldn't even be standing here. Never forget that hollow, boy."

"Tch, whatever." Ichigo turned to face him as he did his belt. "Look, make sure you don't tell any of the others that I was here. They don't need to know anything."

"Does that mean you didn't tell your friends about what happened?"

"They don't know anything. They just think I'm away at college just like my family does," Ichigo mumbled as he pulled on his sneakers.

"I wonder how long you'll be able to pull the wool over the soul society," Shinji commented as he fiddled with a trinket that resided on the stand behind Ichigo's bed. Ichigo snatched the item out of Shinji's hands and placed it back in its former place. Shinji rolled his eyes and turned towards the window. "You're finally ready? Man, I swear you're becoming more and more like a girl lately." A fist made contact with his face, sending him flying into the desk chair. He rubbed his nose and glared at Ichigo. "That hurt like hell! What in the world was that for!?"

"Just shut up and c'mon," was the cold response that he received from the boy. He muttered profanities under his breath as he followed Ichigo's flash step out of the bedroom.

* * *

Rain pattered on the roof as she stared out the window. Orihime was currently leaning onto her hand, gazing down at the street below.

'_That strange boy…I can't seem to stop thinking about him. I wonder where I've seen him before. It's weird that I forgot, but I don't think I could forget hair that color.' _

The tea pot whistled, startling her out of her thoughts. Rushing over to the stove, she turned it off and poured some of the hot liquid into a tea cup. The steam rose into the air and she couldn't help but bend down and smell the sweet fragrance.

"Yum, it smells so good! If only there was someone here to enjoy it with!" Her smile faded as she looked around her empty apartment.

Lately, there were times when she was in the shower and would reach out to find a towel she didn't remember being there. And at even closer inspection, she realized she had never owned such a towel before. In fact, there were a few times when she felt as if something should have been there, but there wasn't. It was like something was missing even though she had no idea what it could be...

As she looked at the couch, she couldn't help but have the same feeling come over her. Walking over to it, she soon ran her hand across the leather.

"Wasn't there supposed to be something important here?" Her head began to pound as she tried to recall what she thought had been there. Her vision began to blur and soon it was like she wasn't even in her apartment.

"_Ahahahahaha, I can't believe you did that! Here, I'll place it right here so you won't miss it." Large hands placed a large afghan over the couch and her cheeks burned in embarrassment. _

"_I-I didn't mean to forget it! I was going to do it but then…poof! It just disappeared!" The laughing continued as she waved her arms around frantically. _

A sharp sting ran through her head, making her gasp in pain. When the ache subsided, she took a hesitant sip of her tea.

"I-I... wonder what that was and who was that person in my apartment? ... Would I even have a boy in my apartment? The only one that comes is Uryu but he doesn't stay long and he doesn't act like he lives here…" She felt her face go red at the thought, but still remained distraught over what just happened.

'_There's no way…I think I would remember having a boy living in my apartment with me. Orihime, you're officially going insane, yep, completely and utterly insane. Time to check into the insane asylum!' _

Finishing off her tea she walked back into her small kitchen, Orihime pulled at her auburn locks while yawning. Even though it was morning, she still felt exhausted. The sudden headache had taken a lot out of her, sapping her of her energy.

Setting the cup down in the sink, the healer walked back into her bedroom and collapsed on her bed. Her face made contact with the pillow and when she breathed in, the scent that hit her nose was so familiar, she pulled away and gazed at it in wonder. Taking the cushion in her hands, she pulled it to her nose once again. What was this smell? It wasn't bad…in fact it was just the opposite!

"Huh, I don't remember having anything that smelled like this…" Orihime murmured to herself. Shrugging it off, she fell back onto the other pillows, still holding the cushion she had previously smelled. Drawing it close to her face, she snuggled into it and smiled as she drifted off into a pleasant sleep.

* * *

Their feet hit the tile floor as they arrived back 'home', if you could even call it that. Ichigo yawned and pulled at his shirt that had ridden up on the way while Shinji walked towards the door. When he pulled it open, a figure clad in black was standing there, arms crossed.

"Where were you two?" Ichigo raised his head and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What does it matter to you? You have no right to ask such a thing," He lashed out, voice cold and bitter. The man in black bowed slightly in respect and then stood up.

"Of course... I was only following orders from the Lord. He wants to know where you have been, as he was very worried about you. He told me to give you his best regards and hope that you are ready to train." With a tsk, Ichigo walked past the man in black.

"Tell him to back off and that I'll come to him when I'm good and ready to train. Right now he wouldn't want to mess with me... I'm not in the best of moods." Shinji looked at the man with apology in his eyes.

"You don't want to mess with him right now," he explained, shrugging. "He couldn't control anything right now even if he wanted too. Just trust him when he says he's in a bad mood."

With a slam, Ichigo leaned against the door that kept him away from the world outside his room. Closing his eyes, he could feel the darkness begin to swirl around inside of him. Pushing away from the door he fell down on his bed, facing the ceiling.

'_**It feels great to be home! Man, being at that shithole we were at before just stunk... I hate being there.' **_

'_You only hate being there because I have more control,' _Ichigo answered nonchalantly as he flipped to his side.

'_**Yeah, and you have no idea how bad that pisses me off. I mean, I know you're the 'King' and everything, but in this place I just feel…more alive.' **_

Ichigo shivered at his hollow's statement. He could feel his control slipping the more he stayed here, but there wasn't another choice. He just had to believe in his own strength to get him through his hollows advances.

'_**You can't keep blocking me out forever! **_His hollow lashed out._** There will be a time that I throw you off the horse and crush your skull, and trust me when I say I won't hesitate when I do it. How many times have I been there to save your sorry ass? Not to mention the time when I saved that one girl…Orihime was it? When you didn't have the strength to get up since you got your frickin' heart blown out. Psh, without me we would both be dead.'**_

'_Shut the hell up! I won't let you have control, so just get nice and comfortable in the position you're in.' _

Orihime…that was something he didn't want to dwell on. It didn't seem to matter how much he tried to push her from his mind, as she just seemed to flow right back in. The way her smile would light up the whole room was the only thing that helped him stay sane in this crazy place.

He clenched the bed cover in his hands, it crinkled from his hold. There was no way he was going to lose, no way he was going to let anything bad happen to his town, to his family, to his friends. He would do anything for them…even if it meant turning to the enemy and becoming the enemy.

"I won't lose. I **won't**."

* * *

**A/N: **okay so I got this chapter out a lot faster since I decided to postpone my math homework which is due Weds. Yeeeahh...as you can tell I hate math with a passion. I hope this chapter was to your liking and with the reviews a lot of people have said that they have read a couple of stories that have the same concept of memory loss ect. Well in all honestly I've never read one of those stories so anything I write I didn't get any ideas from anywhere else but my own head. lol just wanted you all to know so you don't think things are going to follow the same trend as those other stories, if they do I am terribly sorry and I really had no idea. :D

I have to give a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE, thanks to my Beta, she's the best and I can't believe I've been writing without her! She saved my butt this chapter and helped me so much. I can't express enough how much I appreciate everything she does, plus she's just so darn nice!! :D

**Star-In-The-Sky-25**

She's totally amazing and I just love her stories as well, so if you haven't checked her Ichihime stories out or any of her others you totally should. Okay i believe this is a long enough note but thank you for everyone that reviewed last chapter. I hope this one was entertaining for you as well, I know I had fun writing it and am excited to write the rest of the story. Please review and tell me what you think!! Thank you :D


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Uryu pushed his glasses further up his nose as he walked down the deserted sidewalk.

_'Is Ichigo really in college? His reiatsu was stronger and more menacing then I've ever felt it... Could that big of a change really happen with him going away to school? No, I doubt it. What could he be planning?' _

"Uryu! I didn't think you got up this early." He heard a voice and swirled around, met with a bright smile from Orihime.

"O-Orihime, how are you?" She flipped her hair to the side, away from her face.

"I'm doing well; in fact I was just on my way to the library, would you like to come?" she asked excitedly. Uryu couldn't help as his lips turned up into a small smile.

"I'd love to accompany you Orihime."

The sun shined down on them as they walked to the local library, both walking in a comfortable silence. Orihime turned her face towards the sky and took a deep breath.

"You know, sometimes I can't help but wonder why I feel like there's a hole inside of me. Then there will be these times when I'm looking at things and…something strange happens to me, and then I have this terrible headache," she explained, her gray eyes turned to the silent boy next to her. "The other day I found a photo album but when I opened it there would be pictures missing in places. I doubt I would organize them that way…but then again, it _is_ something I would do, isn't it?" she asked with a goofy grin on her angelic face.

Uryu's heart slowly cracked as he watched her innocent smile. _'If only you really knew Orihime…but if you did know, would you hate Ichigo for the rest of your life?' _

"Look Uryu! Isn't this little dog cute?" Her voice rang loud in his ears and he couldn't help but chuckle softly.

'_On second thought I'm positive you would forgive him. You don't have it in you to hate anyone.' _

"He does look good," Uryu replied as he crouched down next to Orihime to look through the glass.

"It makes me want to buy him so I won't be alone in my apartment, but no pets are allowed," Orihime stated with a straight face. Uryu sighed as he reached his hand out, about to touch her cheek but stopped himself, letting his hand fall to his side instead.

"If you ever need anything, Orihime, I'm only a phone call away."

She turned towards him and smiled, "Thank you so much, Uryu, I'll make sure to remember that."

Uryu straightened up and Orihime followed after him as he began to walk down the street once again.

"Say Orihime…What exactly happens when you get a headache?" Uryu asked carefully.

Orihime placed her index finger on her chin. "Well… Before the pain comes, I see something. It's like a movie although I don't know how a movie can play in my head.... Like last night, I was touching the back of my couch and then suddenly it was like I was looking in on a scene. There was a boy…I saw his hands and heard his voice, but never once did I get to see his face."

"Were you in this... movie too? Or were you watching someone else?" Uryu asked.

She smiled as she allowed her hand to fall to her side. "Oh, I was in it but I don't remember anything like that happening before."

Uryu looked at his hands to distract himself from Orihime's face. _'Great going Ichigo. I bet you didn't see something like this happening.' _

"But at the same time it felt so right... I don't understand it." Orihime continued.

"So what did you want to do at the library?" Uryu asked, successfully changing the subject.

"Oh! Well I wanted to look at some cooking books you see." Orihime replied, clasping her hands together behind her back.

Uryu eyed her worriedly. "You want to look at cooking books? What for?"

She smiled sweetly at him. "Well, that's easy to answer! I want to be able to cook for all my great friends! I know most of you don't like my creations so I thought it'd be good if I learned how to make food you guy's will like."

Uryu looked up at the tall building they came to. "And you think you'll be able to fix that?"

Orihime nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yes! I really think I can do it. I want to be able to feed you, Chad, Tatsuki and…" she trailed off as a confused look crossed her face.

After a few moments of silence Uryu cleared his throat. "Orihime, is everything all right?" he asked slowly.

Her eyes glazed over as she seemed to get lost in another world. Panic began to work its way through Uryu as he watched her hairpins begin to glow a light yellow. _'She can't be unlocking her powers already…Ichigo said it would take a while, said we had nothing to worry about for at least a few months. I swear when I see him again I'm going to skin his hide.' _Uryu inhaled deeply when he saw her eyes refocus and her hairpins go back to their blue color.

"Sorry Uryu, did you ask me something?" Orihime apologized quickly.

He slowly shook his head back and forth, still trying to form words to speak. After a few seconds, hesitantly, he smiled. "No everything is fine."

Her eyes closed as she smiled. "I'm glad! I would feel horrible if you got sick from walking with me here. I hate to be a bother." Uryu's eyes softened as he looked at her innocent expression. He put his hand on her head, which was out of character for him, causing her to open her eyes in surprise.

"You are never a bother Orihime. Whenever you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Her cheeks turned a light pink hue as she nodded shyly. The clock on the library chimed, indicating the hour.

"Uh-oh, I better get in there and find that book. Didn't you say something about a test you have today?" Orihime asked as she pushed her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah…" Uryu replied.

"Well then don't worry about me, I can walk myself home." Orihime responded sweetly.

Uryu looked at her intently before sighing. "All right, if you're sure you'll be okay…"

"I'm sure, now go!" Orihime exclaimed while pushing him lightly in the direction of the university.

"I'm going, I'm going. You can call me if you need someone to…" he was cut off by Orihime covering his lips with the palm of her hand.

"Really Uryu, I'll be fine. Just go and study for that test and then go ace it. I know you can do it!" She said excitedly. Uryu looked at her intently and then pushed his glasses up higher on his nose.

"I'll see you later then." Orihime watched as he walked away until she could no longer see him. Rushing into the library, she went up to the third floor.

"Okay…Cooking, cooking." She mumbled as she looked at each of the titles of the sections that were on the bookshelves.

While she was walking, she came across a back section that looked like no one ever visited. Her interest was piqued as she started down the lonely area. _'Wow, I wonder why no one comes to visit these books, they must be really lonely,' _she thought sadly.

Her eyes blurred again once she reached the far end of the section. "Why is this happening again?" She asked in a quiet, scared voice. "Am I going crazy? This isn't normal." After that she felt the same sensation the last time this happened to her.

"_I need to study and so do you!" Her voice whispered urgently as she was being pulled into one of the sections of books. She was working hard to hold back a giggle while she was pulled along. _

"_We have our whole lives to study, who knows how long we have to…do other things," a masculine voice answered. _

_Orihime rolled her eyes as her boyfriend stopped and turned towards her. "We have all the time to make out." She pointed out as she placed her index finger on his chest. "But we don't have all the time to pass these classes." _

_The boy in front of her sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "You're right as always, but it still doesn't change the fact that I'd rather spend time with you then a dirty old book." _

"_You know I hate it when you pout!" She whispered frantically, "Oh please, please don't look like that." She was begging now and she knew it but a part of her didn't care. In a desperate measure to make her boyfriend happy, she pulled on his shirt to make him bend down so her lips could close easily over his. After a few seconds, he pulled away from her with a big grin. _

"_You didn't only make me happy, but you made yourself happy as well. You have to admit you liked it," he leaned down and whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. She pushed at his chest and shook her head in disapproval. _

"_You want to be a doctor and that will be really hard if you're busy pulling me into creepy old hallways of sorts." He easily pulled her back into his arms and rested his head on top of her head. _

"_Okay, okay, we'll go back and study." _

_A small smile of victory flashed across her lips. "Good. I want you to make your dreams come true and I don't want to stand in the way of that." _

The pain that came after the 'movie' was enough to make Orihime fall down on her knees. She grasped at her head in pain, trying to dull it.

"Ouch…I didn't ask for this," she said through gritted teeth.

After a few agonizing moments, the pain dulled enough to where she was able to think about what she had just seen. She knew there was a boy in the 'movie' but for some reason she was never able to make out his features. It was like her vision was blocked from it.

"I had a boyfriend? Well at least me in the movie had one…and…"She reached up and touched her lips. "I can still feel it—the way it all felt." A blush swept across her delicate cheeks. Instead of standing up and going back to looking for a cook book she stayed where she was, enjoying the little movie that had played in her head earlier. _'I wish it was real…I've never had someone kiss me like that.' _

_

* * *

_

Blood made a trail down the orange haired Shinigami's cheek as he gasped for breath, leaning on his knees.

"Ichigo, you're still not good enough," a sinister voice boomed across the room.

A vein began to throb on the side of his head. _'If he keeps talking, then I'm sure to lose it. I want to do nothing more than whip the floor with his smug, ugly, face,' _Ichigo thought darkly as he straightened up. His grip on Zangetsu tightened as his eyes narrowed.

'_**C'mon King, why don't you just fully let me have control for a while? I'll rip his head off his shoulders and be done with this whole thing and then we'll be on top, you won't have to answer to this weakling anymore.' **_

Ichigo shook his head, fighting back the black that was slowly starting to creep over his eyes.

"The only way for you to get stronger is to fully embrace that hollow that is inside of you. Didn't Shinji explain all this to you already?" The voice continued to rant.

"I _do _have control over it!" Ichigo shouted as he straightened up to his full height. His eyes locked with the evil red ones in front of him.

The man walked over and placed his hands on Ichigo's shoulders. "I know you have control of it. What I'm telling you is I want you to allow it to consume you for a while."

Ichigo stared at him like he had sprouted two heads. "You actually want me to just sit back and allow my hollow to change me into some kind of psycho maniac? I have been working so hard to be able to control him so that doesn't happen. I've gotten stronger from my control of him…Why would I want to jeopardize that?"

Ichigo pulled away from the man's touch. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he backed away. "I don't want to become a senseless killing machine. You have no idea what you're asking of me. I came and joined your stupid army and I said I would do what you told me but this…this is going too far. The hollow inside of me is no push over so if I give him a little room he'll take all of it! You can just kiss my ass." He hissed, his hair covering his eyes as he lowered his head.

The man clicked his tongue disapprovingly as he turned his back.

"All right this is all for today. Although, because you haven't been performing as well as I'd like I'm going to have to punish you."

Ichigo didn't respond as he continued to keep his eyes lowered.

"And since things don't seem to sink in when I punish you physically my only option is to punish someone close to you... Perhaps an old teammate?"

Ichigo's head shot up in horror. "You stay away from them! They have nothing to do with any of this!"

A sinister smile came over the man in front of him. "That's where you're wrong, Ichigo, they have _everything _to do with this. I know they are the only reason why you agreed to join us and I also realize that they are your weakness. So in order to make you stronger and more to my liking I'm not afraid to use them against you. Especially that girl…What was her name? Orihime, was it? Aizen had so much regard towards her…in fact he still does."

Ichigo's blood ran cold at hearing her name, his mouth became dry and his hands began to sweat.

"Ah? No witty response? You realize that Aizen will go after her again soon, don't you? So why shouldn't I bring her here and torture her a little? I see no reason why not to, but then again…there's also that Rukia girl that you're close to, isn't there?"

"Stay away from them," Ichigo said as venom laced his words.

"My, my, see this is the attitude I want you to have more of, my precious Ichigo! Yes, become angry, let the angry drive your every instinct."

Slowly raising his brown eyes, he locked with what he thought was the man's eyes in front of him. "Why is it that when you train me you always have your face covered and a shield around you?"

A dark chuckle escaped Ichigo's teacher as he let his head fall back.

"I decided you don't need to see my identity it makes it more entertaining this way. Now are you going to listen to what I have said or should I pay a visit to a certain healer?"

The substitute shinigami's jaw clenched, the grip on his sword slackened as he closed his eyes.

"You said you need to punish me...but if I let him take over, will that satisfy you?" Ichigo asked uncertainly.

An evil grin spread over the man's face that was hidden inside the cloak.

"I believe that will be the only thing that can save you from having your friends take your punishment."

Exhaling Ichigo looked at his hands. _'Okay, Hollow, it's your time to come out and show him what you've got.' _

'_**Hahahaha, I'll show him who's boss when it comes to power. You made the right decision, King. Now let me finish the rest of this 'training' session.' **_

His eyes clouded over with the blackness he had been trying to fight back. Soon his consciousness was sucked into the blackness he hated.

"Now it's my turn!" His voice was no longer the voice he usually used; it was distorted indicating the change.

"Ah, yes, now we'll finally get somewhere," the cloaked figure sneered as he braced himself for the attack that was sure to come.

* * *

Gray eyes flew to the window as she slowly came to her feet and made her way across the living room.

"Something is wrong…but…" Her voice trailed off as she pondered what could possibly be happening to make her feel uneasy.

The color orange flashed across her eyes, making her gasp.

"What was that…someone is hurting…someone important, but who?"

* * *

**A/N: **Hey everyone, sorry its taken me a while to get this chapter out. I had finals for school and just finished them not too long ago. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, I'll admit it was a little boring for me to write but I need to write the boring stuff to get to the good and exciting stuff. Please review and tell me what you thought of it. :D I'll be seeing you guys next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Bang…Bang…Bang!_

Uryu crawled out from the warm comfort of his bed. Growling under his breath, he wrenched the door open and was met face-to-face with Rukia Kuchiki.

"R-Rukia? What…?"

The scowling girl pushed past him into his apartment, her arms folded in annoyance.

"Uryu, Where's Ichigo? Chad claims he doesn't know and for some strange reason he told me to stay away from Orihime. What in the hell is going on?" she exclaimed.

Uryu rubbed his eyes as he shut the door behind his visitor. Walking back towards his bedroom, he emerged with his glasses now on his face. Yawning, he motioned for Rukia to sit down on the couch. She did as instructed, her face still upset.

"Honestly I have no idea where Ichigo is. With what Chad told you earlier…It's just best to not ask questions then to find out what happened."

"Uryu, you better tell me what's going on or else I'm going to hurt you," she threatened, her voice low.

His eyes fell to the small coffee table that sat in the middle of the room.

"A couple of days ago a strange person appeared to Ichigo," he started, his eyes never meeting hers. "Ichigo told me and Chad to leave the room and to take Orihime with us. Of course I wanted to stay with him to make sure that he didn't do something stupid, but he forced me out anyway. After about a half hour he met us at the park and said it was nothing and that we didn't have anything to worry about. He had Orihime go back to the apartment and then he told us what he was planning to do," Uryu explained, trailing off.

Rukia's eyes never left Uryu. "Okay, and what did he do?" she pressed.

Uryu pushed up his glasses and gave her a hard stare. "Do you swear to not say a word to Orihime? Or to even go see her?"

Rukia leaned back against the sofa, her eyes hardening once again. "She's my friend…You're asking me to completely forget about her?"

"She's forgotten about you."

Rukia went rigid. "She's what?"

Uryu placed his hands on his knees. "You heard me. She's forgotten about you and anything that has to deal with the Soul Society. She can't even remember that she has her own unique powers."

"B-But why would she forget about all that?" Rukia questioned, her eyes showing her disbelief.

"She didn't want to forget about it; she had no choice. Ichigo erased all her memories of anything and everything that could turn around to make her be in danger," Uryu replied gravely.

Rukia gripped at her chest. "He took it all away? Wasn't there another option, something else we could have done? He knows me and Renji would do anything to protect her, so why resort to that?"

Uryu shrugged.

"I have no idea why he chose to do this. The only thing he would say was it was the only way to make sure that she doesn't get hurt. She can't even remember who he is and she was the most important thing to him. It hurt him more than getting his chest blown out to erase all her memories of him and their time they had together."

Rukia's eyes fell to her hands that now were sitting in her lap. _'Ichigo…How could you do such a thing? It must have broken you in two to do this. You were trying to protect her and I understand that but who's protecting _you_ right now from your inner demons? Who's taking your hand and guiding you through the pitch black night?' _

"But Orihime has never really been the one to allow these types of things to happen."

Uryu's voice cut through her thoughts as her head snapped up to glance at him. "Meaning?"

"She's been having these strange flashbacks. To her, it's something like a movie but of course I know better. Her mind is desperately trying to remember what it forgot. And slowly bit by bit it will put the pieces together. Orihime acts stupid and ditzy but deep down she's one of the brightest people I know. It's only a matter of time before she comes up with her own conclusion on what happened to her." Uryu explained to the shocked Rukia.

Rukia shot to her feet. "I'd better go and inform everyone back in the Soul Society about what has happened. Ichigo must have gotten into some kind of trouble and he'll need back up."

"He won't let you find him. You haven't been able to sense him anywhere, I'm sure. So what makes you think you'll be able to find him? Ichigo doesn't want to be found." Uryu pointed out flatly.

Rukia balled her hands together.

"I can't just stand here and do nothing. Ichigo is my friend and I'm going to help him even if he doesn't want me to! He can be so thick headed sometimes…He thinks there is only one way to do things but he's wrong. There has to be another way to get through all this."

Uryu rose to his feet, he walked over and placed his hands on Rukia's shaking shoulders.

"Rukia…I think we should follow this through and see what he has planned. We don't want to run in and do something blindly when he could be doing all this for a valid reason. We need to be calm and just do as he says until he comes back to us. I know it's hard and frustrating but it has to be done. It has to," Uryu said his eyes locked with hers.

It took a while before he received a nod in agreement. He inwardly sighed as he allowed his hands to fall limply to his sides.

"I better get back then. Please take care of Orihime since I'm not allowed to see her anymore," Rukia requested, her eyes low.

"Of course I will," Uryu answered.

With that reassurance, Rukia walked out of the apartment. Uryu placed his right hand on his forehead. "Please don't do anything foolish Rukia. Just leave things as they are."

* * *

His heart pounded deeply in his chest as he ran down the deserted alley. His lungs constricted as he continued to push his body further and further beyond its limits.

'_**Are you trying to kill us with your constant running? It's too early in the morning to be doing this sort of thing,' **_his hollowed complained as Ichigo continued down the path.

"I don't give a damn what you think..." Ichigo muttered darkly in response.

His hollow rolled his eyes and fell silent for once. Ichigo looked at the landscape as he ran. It was relaxing to be out here in the night sky, to be able to let his worries fly past him. As he came upon a river he slowed down until he was walking. His breathing began to slow as his heart rate began to lower to its normal pace.

Being in this place reminded him so much of _that_ time. The time when he and Orihime first got together - where they first admitted their feelings. He couldn't stop the grin that graced his lips. Her face had become so red as she stuttered out her words.

_Flashback _

_The final bell for school to end rang in their ears as everyone jumped out of their seats and headed in the direction to exit. The auburn-haired girl stayed still in her seat as the class filed out of the room. Ichigo turned towards the silent girl and stared at her. _

"_Uh, Orihime…the bell rang." He pointed out to the spaced out girl that jumped at the sound of his voice. _

"_I-Ichigo! Yes I know it did. I just…I'm not quite ready to go home yet." _

_Ichigo swung his bag so it was over his shoulder. It was understandable why she wasn't eager to go home like the rest of them were. There wasn't much for her to go back to, living at home alone and all. Plus she hadn't been the same since the Aizen incident happened. None of them had been, but she had been the most affected. _

"_Would you like to walk with me?" The words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them. He shut his mouth afterward and glanced nervously away. _

_Her gray eyes studied him as he waited for her reply. Slowly the smile he loved so much appeared on her face. _

"_Okay!" She bounced out of her seat and quickly gathered her belongings together. When they were together in her bag she skipped to his side. _

_He walked awkwardly with her out of the school. She seemed to sense his awkwardness because she soon started to chat about the little blue aliens that had stolen her clothes this morning. He listened and laughed with her at her crazy tale. Once she finished with that they fell into a silence that seemed to stretch for an eternity. _

"_Is everything alright Ichigo?" Her small voice asked sweetly. _

"_Hmm? Yeah everything's fine. I actually was going to ask you that, Orihime. Ever since we got back you haven't been the same," he replied, his eyes fixed on the ground as they walked. _

_Orihime gazed off into the distance in front of them before she answered, "I'm fine, nothing to worry about here." She smiled. _

_Ichigo shook his head as they came to the small river that ran along the path. "Orihime…what's wrong?" _

_Her small footsteps halted as she tilted her head up to look at the vast sky that was slowly becoming dark. _

"_I can still remember everything that happened there. And…I can still remember you getting hurt—you dying for that moment before you changed…" she trailed off at the thought of him becoming a full hollow in order to save her. She bit her bottom lip as her eyes danced around the sky. _

_Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he waited for her to continue. When it was obvious she wasn't going to say anything else he sighed. _

"_I would do anything to protect you, Orihime. I know…what you saw when that happened was horrifying but…I can't find myself to regret it fully. Do I hate the fact that my soul was taken over by him sure, but…by doing that I was able to save you. It scares me when it happens…coming to and not knowing what I did—it's the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with. I guess what I'm trying to say is don't blame yourself for what happened. I'm the one that has the hollow and I'm the one that needs to deal with it. It would have happened sooner or later anyway. I'm just glad it happened otherwise…you may not be here," Ichigo explained as he stared into the river in order to not look at her. A burning in his chest slowly was starting to rise as he continued to think about what could have happened to her. _

_Orihime couldn't help but be in awe with everything he said. She was relieved to know that he didn't blame her for changing him into a monster but she still couldn't shake the guilt that clung to her every breath. _

"_Sometimes I have nightmares." She whispered. _

_Ichigo's head snapped back to her. His eyes looked at her profile as she looked at the slowly following river. _

"_Nightmares?" Ichigo groaned inwardly, _'Great_ all I need is for her to be afraid of me.' _

_Orihime made a noise indicating he was correct. Ichigo felt his stomach plummet. _

"_Being in that place was horrible but I was willing to stay there in order to protect Ichigo and Rukia, Renji…I wanted to protect everyone. But mostly…I wanted to protect Ichigo." Her cheeks began to turn a slight pink he noticed. _

"_Me? Orihime…I…" _

_She spun on her heels, her school skirt flowing lightly in the wind. _

'Okay…we can do this. It'll be okay to tell Ichigo now…right? Rukia isn't here much anymore and…well he seems to be worried about me.'

_Her gray eyes locked with his confused brown ones. She could feel her cheeks heating up from embarrassment as their eyes locked. _

"_U-Uh…I-Ichigo…I…" She took a deep breath to help give her courage to continue, "when I was getting ready to leave with Ulquiorra he told me I could say goodbye to one person…w-without them knowing." _

_Ichigo motioned for her to go on. _

"_A-and the person I decided to come say goodbye to…was you." Her voice was soft as her eyes looked anywhere but his face. _

'That's why I had her spiritual pressure on me. But…there was so many other's she could have said goodbye to…why me? And why in the hell didn't I wake up? I could have stopped a lot of stuff if I hadn't been passed out, damn it!'_ Ichigo cursed himself silently. _

"_Yours sisters were so cute! All in blankets as they slept in your room—aahh I'm rambling aren't I? Uhm…what I want to say is…when I was saying bye to you…I tried to…k…k…" she shook her head as she wasn't able to say the last word. _

_Ichigo moved his weight from one foot to the other. She turned a deep red as she struggled for a way to say what she wanted to say. _

"_I-Ichigo I…when you got hurt for me…when you came after me…it made me so happy. I…I really…" she groaned as she was once again not able to finish. _

_Her eyes widened. "I don't mean I was happy you got hurt! I hated it when you got hurt! I-I what I meant to say is…I love you!" she shouted the rest. Her eyes shut tight as she waited for him to speak. Ichigo was shocked to say the least. _

'I had no idea…none…that she actually—wow.'

_She creaked an eye open to see his reaction. When she saw he wasn't upset she opened both her eyes and couldn't help the giggle that escaped at the look he was making. He seemed completely shocked and a little lost. _

"_Ichigo are you okay? Did the blue aliens take your mind away?" She asked innocently as she clasped her hands together in front of her. _

_He choked which sent her into more giggles before she rushed to his side and began to pound his back. "Don't die! I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you choke." _

_He didn't have the spine to tell her that he had choked on his own Silva. It was embarrassing enough that he had, there was no way in hell he was going to admit it to her. _

"_We can just pretend I never said anything!" she said frantically. _

_Ichigo's arm shot out and he grasped onto her forearm. "No…I'm not going to pretend it didn't happen. You said it and that's what counts. I…I'm glad." His hair was covering his face. _

_Orihime broke into a smile as she pulled out of his hold only to put her hand in his. Lacing their fingers together she bent down so she could see his face. _

_He was blushing slightly which made her giggle. "I'm glad then. I always thought you and Rukia…" _

"_Me and…Rukia! Oh hell no! We're just friends, there's no way I could like a crazy maniac like her. She's controlling…and loud and…just annoying." _

"_But she's still your best friend." Orihime pointed out softly. Her face lit up by the setting sun. _

"_Yeah she is." Ichigo replied as he couldn't stop from staring at her. _'She's so pretty…why haven't I noticed before?'

_Orihime cleared her throat which caused him to blink. "So…what does this mean?" she asked as she brought their connected hands up. _

_He blushed again as he scratched the back of his neck with his free hand. "…would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow night?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly. _

"_Yes Ichigo I would love to." _

Ichigo sighed as he forced himself to walk away from the river.

'_**I'm so glad you're finished with your stupid day dream.' **_His hollow commented now that he was able to get away from the memory.

Ichigo gritted his teeth as he turned and began to walk back the way he had come. It was time to get back before someone noticed he was gone. The little once of freedom he had would vanish once he walked into that dreadful place.

"I hope you're alright…Orihime."

He gazed up into the full moon as he walked. _'I'm thinking of you.' _

_

* * *

_**A/N: **Sorry it took me longer than I wanted to, to get this chapter out. I hope you guys like this chapter and I realize it doesn't seem like much is going on but don't worry. Things will begin to happen soon. Please review and tell me what you think :D Thanks to my beta she's the best! _  
_


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